£35m Chelsea transfer for deadly striker suddenly collapsed after disagreement

Chelsea’s search for a striker is still ongoing after their move for Spain international Samu Omorodion last summer reportedly collapsed over a contractual disagreement with the player. The Blues were keen to add the youngster to their ranks after his promising season at Deportivo Alaves, on loan from Atletico Madrid.

The west Londoners appeared to be on course to sign Omorodion after agreeing a £34.5million deal with his parent club. But the 21-year-old’s move suddenly collapsed, with The Athletic reporting it was down to a major falling out over personal terms.

He had been expected to sign a seven-year deal with the option of a further 12 months at Stamford Bridge. El Chiringuito claimed the point of contention was Chelsea’s desire to buy 50 per cent of Omorodion's image rights.

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The striker is said to have felt that the club showed him a lack of respect with their proposal, which made him unwilling to negotiate any further. Then aged 20, he had just scored eight goals for Alaves that season and then won Olympic gold for Spain in Paris.

And only weeks after his move to the Premier League fell through, in August 2024, Omorodion decided to join Porto on a five-year contract for a cut transfer fee of £12.7m.

Atletico retained a 50 per cent sell-on clause as part of the Porto deal. The Portuguese club, meanwhile, said they had the option to reduce that by a further 15 per cent for another €5m by July 2025, and the same again a year later.

Chelsea were left to rue the failed transfer as he went on to score an impressive 27 goals in 45 appearances in all competitions this season for Porto, while their own need for a striker remains.

But they will now need to pay a gargantuan sum if they decide to come back in for him in the future, with Omorodion reportedly having a €100m release clause (£85m) at Porto.

For now, the Blues look to have shifted their focus elsewhere this summer. They are currently battling it out with Newcastle for the signature of Joao Pedro, who is expected to cost comfortably more than Omorodion's transfer value last year.

Chelsea have held initial discussions with Brighton & Hove Albion over signing the 23-year-old Pedro, though it's not clear at this stage whether they are the mystery team that's lodged a bid.

It remains to be seen whether they can agree a deal for the forward, who would add a great deal of versatility to their attacking options. Their interest could also be linked to the future of Christopher Nkunku, who Chelsea, alongside Nicolas Jackson, are not confident enough to head into next season with.

Brighton signed Pedro from Watford in a deal worth around £30m in the summer of 2023 and will want to get a big profit. Pedro, who has scored 30 goals in 70 Albion appearances, is a long-term target of Newcastle, who were also keen in 2022.

But the Magpies have had a £50m bid rejected and now have a fight on their hands with Chelsea and other Premier League clubs keen on the Brazilian.

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